can we help
+44(0)1983 296060
+1 757-788-8872
tell me moreJoin a rally

Menu

Defyr - Barn doors version 2



Wasn't this rally all about collecting miles? Well, that is what we have done. Thorougly. Our tactician is really in love with north and so we sailed there. Day after day it was to northeast! Well finally we realised that if we do not change the course, we will miss the Azores. That was after someone from home sent us a fleettracker picture with a message saying: "Are you sure you are not lost from the others?" So we decided to take of our superwarm clothes and set course to southeast.

DOWNWIND SAILS

Last time I wrote I told that our asymmetric spinnaker blew up in two. That was the first day of the rally. The next day it was all about taping. And sewing and taping again! We had to spare some spinnakertape, because our spinnaker is really really old and we were waiting for some taping to be done there too. So we used also duct-tape. I have to say the sail is most certainly not a pretty one, but it works! We have sailed with it in light winds maybe three times after taping and it works! It blew up in 15 knots winds so we take it down when the wind hits 14 knots.

Luckily we did have a spinnaker! It's an old old race-spinnaker that has been used in two racing boats and then forgotten to a friends garage. We got it from a friend for free (thank you, thank you!). The fabric is super light and it had already seven patches and to skeletons dancing on it. Now it has 13 patches. Or to tell the truth it actually blew up yesterday. And no amount of spinnaker tape could save it. It was torn from the top to the very bottom of the sail. So, if the wind is more than 14 knots we have no downwind sails! Which is kind of annoying, because the idea was to downwindsail from here to Azores.

Our code-zero can only fly true wind angles 90 - 120. And the good old barn doors are too slow. I was sitting outside with Heikki, our brilliant tactician, and we were trying to make our code fly more downwind. I was frustrated and mentioned barn doors. And he had an idea. After 10 minutes we had barn doors made with code zero & spinnaker pole and main sail. The thing is so big, it feels like sailing with a cruiseship as it sways through the waves. It doesn't even fit in to a photo. But it moves! It's not a spinnaker, but it's barn doors version 2!

More in finnish at www.saaressa.com.

Previous | Next